Brock Bowers explains what he learned from ankle injury

Brock Bowers is back, and perhaps even better. On Tuesday, the Georgia tight end revealed what he learned while he was sidelined by his ankle injury.

“I guess just learning how to work through things, having a purpose to come back and wanting to come back,” Bowers said. “It kind of made me appreciate the things I had before, because when you get in the grind, you don’t really think about it. When it gets taken away from you that fast, you’re like, ‘Man, this sucks,’ then you’ve got to get back into it. It kind of gives you a whole new perspective on it.”

Just 26 days after undergoing tight rope surgery on his left ankle, Bowers returned in the team’s statement 52-17 win over Ole Miss. He did more than play, he contributed. In the win, the 6-foot-4 tight end tallied three receptions for 34 yards and a touchdown.

Despite missing nearly a month of football, Bowers still has over 125 more receiving yards than Georgia’s second-leading receiver. Moreover, the California native leads the team in receptions and receiving touchdowns.

Brock Bowers makes a split decision

Bowers admitted he wasn’t sure whether he would suit up against the Rebels until the day of the game.

“I wasn’t totally sure at all. I guess in the whole week leading up to it, I was kind of unsure if they’d let me go or if they were going to kind of keep me out,” Bowers said. “I mean, I wanted to play, obviously. I ended up feeling pretty good, and I was able to go, so I was happy about it.

“I just wanted to always come back for the team and all the guys in the locker room,” Bowers said. “We all just care so much about each other. I just wanted to come back and try to help the team win.”

He succeeded and then some. Nonetheless, Bowers’ miraculous return is only beginning. On Saturday, the team will face off against No. 21 Tennessee. Just two weeks later, the Bulldogs will go head-to-head against Alabama in the SEC Championship.

UGA head coach Kirby Smart never doubted his All-American.

“I knew it was in the realm,” Smart said. “It was a belief that he’d have to do something special. The day after it happened, his mother and father called and wanted to be aggressive with it and wanted to treat it. One of the best things for it is to get back on it, move it and not let it stiffen. We had had experience with other guys taking longer, and he took a really aggressive approach to it. He’s different.”